Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa New Zealand School Boards Association president Lorraine Kerr and national policy adviser Natasha Watson visited Oamaru, Dunedin and Cromwell last week.
In a busy two-day schedule, they hosted events in all three towns and met about 100 board members and principals.
They visited schools as well, including St Kevin’s College, Pembroke School and Papakaio School.
The goal for the trip was to meet principals and board members face to face rather than being just another official in their "ivory tower" in Wellington, Ms Kerr said.
She also wanted to assure the school boards that they were not alone in dealing with issues.
"The big thing is building and strengthening relationships.
"Everything happens around strong and trusting relationships."
The key was to ensure that whatever decisions school boards made, that they were in the best interests of the pupils.
"If you keep the child at the forefront of any decisions you make, then how can you go wrong?"
Ms Kerr would not comment on the ongoing issues at Totara School, but said the association was always there to help if the school needed it.
"Should they need the support of the expertise that we as an organisation, we’re in there boots and all, standing beside them."
Otago regional executive board chairman Eugen Dupu accompanied them.
